Ald. Frank Olivo won't run again

December 30, 2010

Southwest Side Ald. Frank J. Olivo has decided against seeking re-election, leaving an operative for Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan with a clear path to the 13th Ward post.

Olivo, also a Madigan ally, filed a withdrawal form removing his name from the Feb. 22 ballot last week, Chicago Board of Election Commissioners records show. That leaves Marty Quinn, who has run Madigan's ward office, to step in unchallenged.

No other candidates have survived petition challenges in the race. An Olivo staffer said there would be no comment on the decision.

Olivo joins an exodus of sitting aldermen not running again. With two more recently leaving for other jobs and several others facing tough challenges, the council is expected to have a large turnover next year.

Olivo had been on a variety of city and county public payrolls since the early 1970s when Mayor Richard Daley named him alderman in late 1994. Olivo rarely spoke at council meetings.

Last year, the Tribune reported that an Olivo relative didn't have the required grades for a specialized accounting program at the University of Illinois but got accepted anyway after Madigan's office intervened. At the time, a Madigan spokesman said the help was "constituent service."